Charcoal pork vs grilled mackerel set meals in Bucheon: Gim Myeongju

Today I went looking for a good Korean set meal and visited a Bucheon favorite, Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch.

• 📍 59 Gilju-ro560beon-gil, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• ⏰ Hours: daily 10:30–21:00 / last order 20:00
• 💛 No reservations 12–3pm on weekends and holidays
• 💛 No stroller or wheelchair access inside
• 🚘 Free parking available (large lot)

Outside and parking

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch is surrounded by mountains, so it felt like a little escape from the city even though it's not far away. There's plenty of parking space out front too, which made driving there really convenient.

Even though it was raining, there were so many customers! The sign is big enough to spot from a distance, so it wasn't hard to find. If you're looking for a Gachiul Korean restaurant for taking your parents out or for a family meal, this place seemed like a solid choice.

Inside the restaurant — how is it with kids?

Once inside, the space was bigger than I expected, with a lot of tables. When we visited, it was already buzzing with other diners mid-meal.

The tables weren't cramped together, so it was comfortable for a family meal, and they had baby chairs and baby tableware ready, which made it easy to bring the kids along 💛 True to its reputation as a Bucheon Korean restaurant, we saw everyone from families to elderly guests, and the space was big enough to work well for family gatherings or larger groups too.

Menu and prices

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang has a wide range of Korean set meals. There's the borigulbi (dried yellow corvina) set, soy crab set, charcoal-grilled pork set, mixed namul (seasoned vegetable) set, and grilled mackerel set, and you can also add à la carte dishes.

After some deliberation, we ordered the charcoal-grilled pork set for ₩31,000 per person and the grilled mackerel set for ₩29,000 per person, picking both so we could try meat and fish in one sitting.

Banchan and the self-bar

After ordering, a full table of basic banchan (side dishes) showed up first.

There was kimchi, fried eggplant, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), namul, and more — such a variety that it was fun trying one after another. As you'd expect from a proper Korean set meal, it wasn't all heavy or spicy dishes; there were plenty of namul options too, which made it feel like a good spot to bring parents along.

And if you run low on anything, you can grab more from the self-bar! Being able to add only what you want, as much as you want, was really convenient.

The charcoal-grilled pork and grilled mackerel spread

After a short wait, the charcoal-grilled pork and grilled mackerel arrived and the table was complete. Looking at the photo again, it's really a huge spread, haha. The main dishes plus all the banchan, stew, and pot rice filled the whole table — it looked so satisfying just to see.

I also liked that the rice came out as warm pot rice instead of plain steamed rice. Being able to eat a variety of banchan and mains together made it a spread that suits anyone looking for a Jakdong-style Korean set meal or a Bucheon restaurant recommendation.

Grilled mackerel

The grilled mackerel came out as a whole fish, bigger and more generous than I expected. The skin was grilled to a nice golden brown, and the flesh underneath was moist and tender — perfect with rice.

The flesh was thick with plenty to pick at, which made it good to share with the kids too.

Charcoal-grilled pork

The charcoal-grilled pork came with that great smoky char smell as soon as it arrived 🔥 It looked delicious just from the glossy sheen alone.

The meat was tender, and the sweet-savory marinade soaked in well — tasty on its own, and even better with rice.

Wrapping rice and the pork in lettuce with a few banchan on top is honestly heaven 🤍 Personally, of the main dishes, the charcoal-grilled pork was more my style. 👍🏻

Cheonggukjang

The set also came with warm cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew). The broth was savory and rich — a spoonful of rice followed by a spoonful of cheonggukjang was a great combo. Between the mains, the range of banchan, and the cheonggukjang, this is a solid choice for anyone looking for a hearty Bucheon Korean restaurant.

There was also coffee available after the meal, and an event was running where you could get cash-equivalent points for writing a Naver visitor review.

Final thoughts

It had been a while since I'd had such a full, generous Korean set meal, and it was really satisfying :) The charcoal-grilled pork and grilled mackerel mains were both good, but what I loved most was being able to try a little of everything from the wide banchan spread.

With the spacious parking lot and baby chairs and tableware on hand, it was easy to bring the kids along for a family meal, and it also felt like a good spot to take parents out to eat. If you're looking for a hearty Gachiul Korean set meal or a Bucheon restaurant to visit with family, give Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch a try.